In Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the Marilyn Monroe mannerisms all combine in a very sexy explosion of music, comedy, and romance unequalled in the rest of her career.
She had previously had many bit parts – and one starring role in the steamy drama – but it was this film which saw Norma Jean Mortensen make her leap into the role of Blonde Bombshell.
Marilyn turned Anita Loos’s quintessential gold-digger Lorelei Lee into a parfait of dizzy, delectable delight singing Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend, and screen beauty Jane Russell matched her every move as her brainy brunette roommate Dorothy Shaw.
Charles Coburn is delightful as Piggy, a horny old millionaire Marilyn sets her sights on (“I just love finding new places to wear diamonds, ” she gushes while the old man blushes) and six-year-old George Winslow – as a precocious kid who helps Marilyn squeeze her derriere through a ship’s porthole – is hilarious.
But it’s really the genius casting of the two stars, igniting the screen with their particular boffo appeal, and the lavish Jack Cole dance numbers created for them, that made Gentlemen Prefer Blondes a smash.
Lorelei Lee Marilyn Monroe Dorothy Shaw Jane Russell Sir Francis Beekman
Charles Coburn Ernie Malone
Elliott Reid Gus Esmond
Tommy Noonan Henry Spofford III
George Winslow Gus Esmond Sr
Taylor Holmes Lady Beekman
Norma Varden Watson
Howard Wendell
Director Howard Hawks
Video
Related Posts
Grease 2 (1982) This unprepossessing sequel to the massive John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John hit is notable for a great title song by the Four…
Groove Tube, The (1974) The Groove Tube is a medley of skits parodying television news, sports and children's programmes, drama series and cooking shows, intermixed…
It Came from Outer Space (1953) Based on Ray Bradbury's story The Meteor, this early 3-D classic was the first of many brilliant sci-fi films from…
How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) How to Marry a Millionaire teamed Marilyn Monroe with Lauren Bacall and the great Betty Grable as three gorgeous gold-digging models…
House Of Wax, The (1953) As much a vehicle for a scenery-devouring Vincent Price as for the newfangled 3D process that would kick-start the 1950s…
Abbott and Costello Go To Mars (1953) Having run out of exotic backgrounds on Earth, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello accidentally launch a rocket ship and think…
Gentle Trap, The (1960) On his first burglary, young locksmith Johnny Ryan (Spencer Teakle) joins old-timer Sam (Arthur Hewlett) on a raid on a…
Gregory's Girl (1981) An antidote to all those 80's-era US teen movies with their genetically-modified casts and big cars, Bill Forsyth's gentle comedy…
Marilyn turned Anita Loos’s quintessential gold-digger Lorelei Lee into a parfait of dizzy, delectable delight singing Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend, and screen beauty Jane Russell matched her every move as her brainy brunette roommate Dorothy Shaw.
